What to watch in biotech at the JPM Healthcare Conference and beyond in 2019

Any look ahead at expectations for biotech in 2019 needs to start with a brief recap of the past 12 months because — oh, boy — 2018 was a challenging, healthy, volatile, productive, frustrating, and abundant year. Most of all, it was weird.

A torrent of money poured into the biotech sector but the volume of merger-and-acquisitions dried up and stock prices fell. Initial public offerings set records but average returns were mediocre. The Food and Drug Administration approved more drugs in a single calendar year than ever before, but squabbles over pricing and reimbursement grew more intense. Commercial launches were hit or miss. The pace of scientific breakthroughs quickened but optimism was often overshadowed by macro fears about tariffs and looming trade wars.

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Any word on Methadone use for pain management. There’s serious talk in NY State that it will be banned for pain use in 2019. I’m as 51-yr old Chronic Intractable Pain patient since 2003.
Without my high dose Methadone (150mg twice a day), I’m as good as DEAD! Yet you’d never know I was on any drug, it just lowers my pain enough to keep my from ending it all. I also have Degenerative Disc Disease and Fibromyalgia. My father served at Camp Lejeune from 1952-55 and died of Kidney Failure (a class action suit) and it’s now know children of these men develop Neuromuscular/autoimmune diseases. No other meds work on me due to Hyperthymusism (part of my Advanced General Myasthenia Gravis).
I get answers NOWHERE, my pain doctor has become totally paranoid by the DEA’s “War On Opioids”???
I voluntarily went to a psych every week for 8-years (2004-2012 until NY cut my Straight Medicaid off thanks to Obamacare) to watch for any signs of addiction, which were NEVER seen. I’ve refused more opioids than I’ve ever taken because I KNOW they don’t work! Then doctors look at me like I’m crazy??? All I want is my pain at a level I can live with and still help people for free, which is what I’ve done my entire life.